


i just haven't met you yet

by unknowableroom_archivist



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Humor, Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2010-01-21
Updated: 2010-01-30
Packaged: 2019-01-19 23:00:35
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 9
Words: 5,006
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12420048
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/unknowableroom_archivist/pseuds/unknowableroom_archivist
Summary: he comes to terms that, yes, he does have a crush on his best friend. and maybe, just maybe, she likes him, too. // lysander/lily luna





	1. prolouge

**Author's Note:**

> Note from ChristyCorr, the archivist: this story was originally archived at [Unknowable Room](http://fanlore.org/wiki/Unknowable_Room), a Harry Potter archive active from 2005-2016. To preserve the archive, I began manually importing its works to the AO3 as an Open Doors-approved project after May 2017. I e-mailed all creators about the move and posted announcements, but may not have reached everyone. If you are (or know) this creator, please contact me using the e-mail address on [Unknowable Room collection profile](http://www.archiveofourown.org/collections/unknowableroom).

  
Author's notes: 1  


* * *

_And I know some day that it’ll all turn out_  
You'll make me work so we can work to work it out  
And I promise you kid that I give so much more than I get  
I just haven't met you yet

 

 

_—_

 

 

Lysander never was one to see what was directly in front of him. He was an oblivious young man. He wasn't one for hints or innuendos. He never saw a surprise party coming, and couldn't guess anything worth crap. Needless to say, he was horrid at Divination.

 

 

He had been best friends with Lily Potter since they were children. When his parents, both traveling naturalists, went away, he and his twin brother, Lorcan, would be dropped off at Neville and Hannah's or Harry and Ginny's. Lily and he became fast friends, and were never seen without the other. Unlike Lysander, though, Lily was always curious, always cynical, and always trying to see one step ahead of her. She saw the flaws in James' and Fred's plans and pranks straight away, and stopped them before they could get going. He wondered how they ever managed to get on so well; Lily was so loud and fun, and he was quiet and reserved. She brought out the talkative side in him, though, and he could chat with her for hours on end about anything and everything.

When they were around nine, Lorcan began to make jokes about when Lysander and Lily would get together. Lily would always blush and look away, and Lysander barely noticed it. Lily told him late one evening that Uncle George was willing to start betting with the other adults about when they would get together. He remembers telling her that they were a bit mad, betting on them. She had looked vaguely disappointed at the news, and he never knew why.

 

 

At the age of thirteen, he started noticing girls. Lily was standoffish when he commented on a girl he had a crush on. He can't recall a time when she told him of a crush she had, not one boy. He always wondered if she had a secret crush on her cousin's boyfriend, Teddy, because of how cute he was, and the fact that he was off-limits. He mentioned it once, and she hit him over the head, and stormed off. He had tried to think of what he had said wrong, and drew a blank.

 

 

All he can remember of his seventeenth birthday party is Lily's smiling face and her singing and the smell of wax on her as she hugged him. She had hugged him a little too long that day for it to be platonic, and she had sung a bit too loud, and she smiled way too much for it to be normal. He thought, maybe she had always been this way all along—obvious. Was this the first time she had shown interest? Lysander had had many failed relationships that year, and he had vague memories of Lily comforting him each time one date didn't work out, or times a girl refused his proposals. He knows she had gotten many proposals, too, and never saw her accept one ... but she never sought comfort. She was never disappointed. She had been happy just holding _him_.

 

 

He comes to terms a month later that, yes, he _does_ have a crush on his best friend. And maybe, just, maybe, she likes him, too.

 

 

—

 

  
-insert disclaimer here- I won't be posting that every chapter, so from here on out, I don't own anything.


	2. i.

_I'm so obsessed,_

_My heart is bound to beat right out of my untrimmed chest._

_"Like a Virgin", you're Madonna,  
And I'm always gonna want to blow your mind._

 

 

While Lysander was most likely the most oblivious man in Southern England, he was probably also the most cowardly. _Admitting_ that he liked his _best friend_ wasn't enough. He'd have to tell her first. And what kind of self-respecting man wants to swallow their so-called "pride" and sum up the courage to tell a girl how they _feel_? Not many. Lysander wasn't a romantic, by any standards. He had been an offbeat teenager, with a one-track mind. He was still the same, two years later, as a nineteen-year-old.

 

 

The problem was that _Lily_ was a romantic; she was a multi- tasker. She was quite shy at first, but became braver in comfortable company. She didn't have a problem saying what she wanted when she wanted, usually, if she knew the person well enough. (Lysander figured he was the exception to that rule.) She was low maintenance, and he didn't see what she saw in him—assuming she did see anything at all.  


  
 

Lysander admits he wasn't a brave man. He was no Gryffindor; the Sorting Hat put him in Hufflepuff for a reason. He was shy; Lily liked to laugh and go, "Why, you introvert, you're like a crab, hiding in your shell." Lily was well-liked. They were complete opposites in almost every respect. Sometimes Lysander wondered how they were even best friends. He reckons he'd be more fit to be someone else's best friend—say, Lucy, Lily's cousin. She was a Ravenclaw, and, like Ly, kept to herself during gatherings. (Lysander disregards the fact that, though she's shy and introverted, too, she's dating someone loud and face-to-face, who'd pick Quidditch over reading and/or writing any day—AKA Lorcan, Lysander's twin.) But, in many ways, Lysander and Lily were similar.

 

 

They both preferred spending time with family and friends than attending a Quidditch game, or a concert (read: the company of the other). They both read like maniacs—they often would visit the book store, buy five books each, and then switch when each was finished with their five. They got ten books with half the money it would've taken to each buy ten. (Though they both loved books, neither were fans of libraries.) Writing was a passion for both—while Ly fancied poetry or short stories, Lily journals. He reckons she had about thirty journals hidden away somewhere; she went through them like Tantalus with tangible food.

 

 

He decides he'll summon his Gryffindor courage tomorrow night; Lily had just asked him to dinner. He drops anything for her.

 


	3. ii.

_ And I can’t see— _

_ And I can see what they don’t see in you. _

__

__

As Lysander drove his Muggle car towards Lily and his favorite, out-of-the-way restaurant, he fiddled with his never-working radio. He had taken give years of Muggle Studies, but they had never reviewed fixing cars. He had gone into the class hoping for an easy blowoff, and, instead, exited with a year’s knowledge of Muggle school subjects. Math was first, followed by Literature Analysis, Chemistry, Language, and the History of England. He had been the only to survive the class all five years—many a peer dropped the class during the awkward Chemistry year. He prided himself on his knowledge in each, and was currently attending a nearby Muggle school for more information so he could, one day, teach, too. Lily thought him crazy, but always laugh when she’d roll her eyes and exclaim, “Merlin, Scamander! You’re turning into my great grandfather! But instead of playing with plugs, you rattle of what _Romeo and Juliet_ really means.”

He smiles at the memory. They had been lying, facing each other, on in empty compartment on the Hogwarts Express, on the last train ride home from Seventh Year. He remembers the way she had laughed loudly; the way her eyes shone at him. He berates himself on never seeing the signs until now—he could’ve had _ages_ with her. Years, even. They could’ve been the couple who dated for years, and were expected to continue, and marry, after graduation. He wishes he were the type of person who knew exactly what to say, when, so he could just tell her tonight; he hadn’t had enough preparation in front of the mirror, though. Not yet, anyway. He hadn’t dressed right. He was currently wearing the jeans he’d worn yesterday, and his hair was rumpled from his nap on the couch. He wishes he could just _tell her_. But he was holding onto the fear that Lily _didn’t_ have feelings for him, that she didn’t like him that way, that he was seeing things.

He itches to tell Lorcan all that’s he’s realized, but sighs as he recalls, once again, that he was off traveling the world with Lucy. Their father had let loose the fact, in a brief moment of stupidity, that their great grandfather had traveled the world when _he_ graduated. The pair were due home last week, and were evidently late. James reckons they eloped to Los Angeles, in America, but only go shushed by his mum (and received laughs from Lysander, Lily, Albus, and Harry); it would’ve been in character for the couple. (Merlin knows Lorcan had a Muggle tattoo bearing his long-time girlfriend’s name.) The irony wasn’t lost on Lysander, though he was oblivious as hell, that if he were to date Lily, he _and_ his brother would be dating girl with four-letter, “L” names, when they both had “L” names, as well. Lysander believes he had too much time on his hands. 

He arrives at the restaurant early, and gets their usual table by the window. Lily was always “fashionably” late. (Otherwise known as, “Sorry, I couldn’t find my glasses!”)


	4. iii.

_ Jamie, what you doing now? _ __   
_ He's dialing your car phone. _   
_ Please, please be true. _   
__ You know that I trust you, do that which you must do.

_ _

_ _

Lily arrives at the restaurant not five minutes later. Her bob of auburn hair was tousled slightly from the wind that was coming through. She collapses onto the booth bench across from him, shrugging off her coat, and smiled off-handedly at Lysander. She looked kind of off, herself—she had dark circles under her hazel eyes, and her vintage cat-eye glasses needed pushed up the bridge of her nose every moment or so. He sends her an encouraging smile, which probably comes off as nervous, and is pulled out of his reverie of her by the approaching waiter.

The waiter had seen the wannabe couple come in, and had promptly ordered what he deemed “the only thing they’d ever dream of ordering.” He placed the plates down in front of them, and asked about their day thus far before retreating back to the kitchens. Lysander disregards the fact he had given Lily a type of look he’d see many times before, during their years at Hogwarts.

As Lily ate her spaghetti, Lysander takes the opportunity to continue observing her; it was like he’d never seen her clearly before. Her body was leaning slightly towards him, and her elbows rested on the table. She kept running a hand through her hair (a habit he heard she inherited from her paternal grandfather). She catches him looking, and raises an eyebrow.

“Take a picture,” she advises, wiping her mouth with the back of her hand. “It’ll last longer.”

He grins and they make small talk about a book they had both just read until the waiter approaches again with the check. Lysander pays with his remaining pounds from his last money switch, and carries Lily’s jacket from her as they leave the place. He motions towards his car and she sighs. 

“Lysander,” Lily says slowly, stretching his name playfully. “ _Why_ did you drive?”

He shrugs at her rhetorical question. He’s been afraid of Apparition ever since the flinching he'd received the first time he'd Side-Alonged with his mother twelve years ago. He had had to regrow three bones in one night, and never Apparated with or without someone since. He preferred driving, and didn't really need Apparition, anyway. Lily thought it was funny, but understood why he would want to drive (though she couldn't fathom why he'd want to drive an always breaking down car). 

Lily slips inside of the car, on the passenger side.  "This is against my better judgment," she mutters, and he laughs.

 

 

 


	5. iv.

_It's been a year now, since you were here now,_  
And I've been trying to heal inside.  
Dedications have all been placed  
And I see your resemblance in my face,  
And on our birthday I said an extra wish for you.  


Lysander got into his car after Lily, and, igniting the emission, watches as Lily plays with the seat adjustments during the wait for his car to start up. When he finally pulls out, Lily hit what she thought must be the button for what Lysander calls an AC ("It blows warm air out, when it's working. It's not usually working, though; I'm no mechanic."). Suddenly, loud music filled the vehicle, and Lily struggles to shut off the blaring radio quickly. She immediately stops fooling around with various parts of his car, and eyes her best friend.

"You told me the radio wasn't working! That you could barely get our RDs, or whatever you call those circular things of yours, to play." She slumps back into her seat, disappointed. "I think I'm going to go deaf prematurely because of you. Think of what your mother would say! She'd have your head for breakfast. Agrippa knows she's ate worse. Remember that time after Third Year I visited, and your dad and her were eating Blubbering Humdingers and all that jazz? Merlin, your mum's crazy." She pauses. "And awesome. She gives the best pep talks, did you know? She once comforted me when grandmum died. The rest of the family could barely comfort each other, but she was there, and gave me the most amazing talk." She looked down at her hands before continuing. "She told me that whatever I do, her spirit would be within me. I dunno what fortune cookies she'd been memorizing, but it was very heart-warming. I gave Albus the same advice, and I'm pretty sure he passed it on, one family member by one. D'you think they know your mum said that? It wouldn't matter either way, I guess, but she deserves it. I wonder who comforted her when ..." She pauses again, and pats him on the back understandingly when Lysander freezes momentarily at the would-be mention of his grandfather. Softer, she continues, "And, Lysander—" Her voice cracks. "Lysander, I know I said your mum gave me the pep talk, but you pulled me through those hazy days. I-I dunno what I would've done if you hadn't been there for me when gran-grandmum died." She starts sobbing, and Lysander pulls over. When the car is in stand-still, he picks Lily lightly up, and sits her in his lap. She wraps her arms around his neck, and his arms pull her in tighter around the waist. He smooths her hair down in what he hopes is a comforting fashion, and kisses her forehead.

After a few moments, she sniffles one last time, and looks up at him. "Thanks, Ly," she says, smiling slightly. "I don't mean to be such a burden all the time. Who wants a best friend who starts crying randomly?" He grins and she buries her head into his neck. He rubs circles into her back and they stay in that position for a while.

_—_

In the original version of this chapter, Lily did not start crying. But it was calling for some Lily background/characterization, and here you go. :) And I know the tense is messed up throughout the story, but I have a reason if anyone wants to hear it! Reviews are treasured, and lots of them make my day easily. Thank-you to the following, who reviewed previously: mollywolly (you're so encouraging, Biggest Fan!), -the smell of autumn- (my fellow Ly/Lily shipper; get on those creative reviews!), glowyrm, marauderxforever, and merdarkandtwisty. :D (And MarauderNumber5 / tasha27 on the UR! 3!)


	6. v.

_I need to kick off and fly into the night_  
Follow the red sparks and hold on tight  
The higher we get, the colder the wind whips in my face  
And it feels like I’m breathing for the first time tonight

They drive until they reach Lily's house, a small cottage on the outskirts of London, where they have a large backyard perfect for flying. They get out of the car, and Lysander observes Lily's mom's healthy-looking vegetables as he waits for Lily to find the hidden key for the house was protected against Alohamora. She finds it, and they enter, walking till they reach the familiar kitchen where Lysander spent half of his childhood, while waiting for his parents to come home. The house is more home to him than his, and he prefers it to Hogwarts. Lily collapses onto a bar stool, and he takes note of her idea, copying her. She dumps her purse out on the counter, and searches through useless piles of junk she insists on carrying—a half-finished Evening Prophet crossword from half a month ago, countless hair ties ("ponytails"), beads she had bought the week before, a cliche romance novel—, and summons a glass with her newly-found wand.

He watches as she fills the glass with a simple water charm she's always had trouble with before, as a crease between her brows appears. He wonders how he never noticed it before; he thinks it might be due to the fact that best friends don't usually notice those kind of things. He feels a pang—they're not just friends to him any longer, he knows, they're some where in between dating and friendship. He'd feel better if he had a word for it, but he catches Lily stuffing her wand in her back pocket.

"You'll blow off your buttocks that way, you know," he tells her. A very nice buttocks, too, w— "I mean, it's something you learn First Year! It's very important to success—no one wants an employee with only one buttocks." She grins widely at him, showing her teeth for once, and he returns the smile. They smile at each other, only smile, when they're pulled down from a call in the living room. Their heads snap up, and see a tired James Potter. He nods at Lysander, and ruffles his sister's hair as he passes.

"Hey!" Lily snaps. "I fixed my hair! It took me about an hour, and—" She blushes tomato red as she realises what she's let loose. She hurriedly corrects herself: "I mean, h-hullo to you, too, Jamie." He cringes at the nickname he'd spent years trying to get rid of, and smiles again as he remembers something. "Dad says Mum and he'll be home late tonight, visiting that second cousin of ours—Dutley or something." He grabs the cereal down from on top of the fridge. "I'll be home late, too. I'm taking Ally out. And Al is taking out Anne because she just got a new job, I hear. Wasn't she training to be a mediWizard?" Lily nods and he continues; Ly sighed quietly. Once you got James going, he couldn't stop, usually. "Are you two doing anything tonight?"

Lysander's heart jumps at the couple-y question, but they both answer "I dunno" in unison right away. They both chuckle, and Lily shrugs at James' knowing smile. "Maybe we'll go to that theatre Ly spends most of his free cash at. Merlin knows he never saves any."

_—_

_I'm waiting for that sixth review that'll make me write more._


	7. vi

  
_Oh I, I just died in your arms tonight_  
It must have been something you said  
I just died in your arms tonight  
I keep looking for something I can't get

 

Lily reluctantly drives with Lysander to the movie theatre a half an hour later, after James had rushed off to his date, late. She had agreed to go with him again solely for the fact that she knows he hates being alone—or so she says. They laugh and talk the whole ride, and Lysander pulls into the parking lot, satisfied with himself; he had managed to get Lily's mind off the fact that they were driving. He knows she pretends to half-enjoy it, half-seem annoyed by it, but he thinks she gets sick half the time. He wishes they had a way they couldboth travel, but neither liked flying. They were pretty boring that way, but it was they way they had connected. When they were little, and Lysander and Lorcan would visit, Lily and he had bonded on the fact that they were the only ones who couldn't stand to watch/discuss/play Quidditch. The rest of their inter-connected families seemed to have all the talent, and they were stuck being lonely Hufflepuffs. They also knew that wasn't true, but everyone was self-loathing at one point or another, Lysander believes.

 

 

Lily grabs her infamous bag off the floor, and begins digging in it for something. Lysander taps his foot uneventfully, scrutinizing her. The aforementioned fall out of her purse; he picks them up quickly, in what he hopes comes off as gentlemanly or thoughtful, at the least. "What are you doing, searching for the kitchen sink you just remembered you carried?" She giggles and mock glares at him momentarily.

 

 

"Searching for my nonexistent wallet. I know I put it in here between my scarf and mints, but, somehow, my items jump around when I'm not organizing it." He shakes his head at the thought of Lily, of all people, being _organized._ She was the exact opposite. It was almost unheard of; poor Lily tried hard to start and last at being organized, but after a few days, she just let her room go, and her became unruly and endearing once again. "Eureka! I found it. It was under my telescope."

 

 

"I'm paying," he reassures her as he watches her attempt to wrangle money out of her wallet. Lily rolls her eyes at him from behind her glasses. "We can go Dutch. We normally do."

 

 

"I'm paying." He says it more forcefully, as if him paying was important to him. It was, actually; it made him feel like he was on a real date, and not a two-best-friends-go-out-for-an-evening. Though Lily was slightly feminist, and wouldn't want him to pay even if they _were_ on a date, she gives in when she sees the look in his eyes. They both buy tickets after she agrees to a recently out, cliche chick flick. Lysander was sorry to say they were his guilty pleasure—that, and watching reruns of an old comedy called _How I Met Your Mother_. Lily loved it, too, but mostly he liked the fact that their was a redhead on the show with Lily's name _and_ Lily's haircut. He thinks he might be slightly obsessed.

 

 

—

 

 

  
_Yeah, cliffie, I guess? Updating later tonight. Review!_ 


	8. vii.

_Promise me_  
You'll leave the light on  
To help me see  
The daylight my guide, gone

They wait in line until the cashier calls them forward. She smiles toothily at Lysander and Lily, and asks them for the order sweetly. Lysander can feel the hate of her job radiating off of her, as he watches her roll her eyes when her coworker behind her trips and spills a Coke he'd been carrying. While she butters their popcorn, though, she tries to make small talk. "So," she starts, and Lysander attempts a half-smile, but is really trying to count the freckles on Lily's face. She flushes red at his gaze, and he looks away. The cashier, who's name tag reads Mary, continues: "How long have you two been dating?"

Lysander stiffens; Lily's face falls at the reminder of their non-date. Lysander says, "No we're just friends." Lily, in unison with her _best friend_ —not her boyfriend; he's not her boyfriend, she tells herself: "We're not dating!" Mary tuts at their reactions and adapts a mysterious look as she hands them their large fruit punch they had planned on sharing. "Good luck with that." She ushers them out of the line, then, with her hand, and the pair walk off to the movie. There's an awkward silence.

_It's not awkward unless you make it awkward._ He remembers this quote from a far-off, not-really-there friend from one of his classes in Sixth Year. He used to sit next to Lysander in Ancient Runes, and Ly knows he hadn't liked him much. He'd flirt with the teacher, the guy, and wouldn't ever open his book—Lysander wasn't sure he even had one. But the guy spewed out quotes like they were going out of style, and Lysander was half-sure he picked the Seventh Year's class quote. Lily coughs, breaking his thought process, as they reach the door towards the movie; he holds open the door for her, and Lily ducks her head under his lanky arm. She thanks him quietly, and he follows her in.

The theatre isn't crowded at all, and they easily snag the seats in the back row, under the projector. They pull down the table from the chair in front of them, and Lysander sets down the drink and the popcorn. Lily immediately begins eating it, and Lysander collapses on the couch next to her. The commercials drag by, and, soon enough, Lysander is counting her freckles again. Lily doesn't met his gaze; he's not sure if she can feel him looking. When the movie starts, he drags his eyes away, and watches the movie.

The movie is fluffy and slightly funny, but Lysander can't seem to focus on it all. He steals glances at her all night, and tells himself she's looking at him when he's not looking; he's not necessarily incorrect, however, as Lysander thought he was, in the back of his mind. The two are like a magnet to the other—Lily soon finds herself leaning in slightly to his smell, and Lysander unconsciously wraps his arm around her.

The movie goes by quickly after that, and both are reluctant to move apart and leave, but do so anyway. Lily mentions watching some old reruns, on his TV, and he nods enthusiastically. A dinner, a movie, reruns with _Lily_ —the perfect night in Lysander's mind, and Lily's alike.

—

I almost had an almost-kiss, but it wasn't calling for it. Reviews boost my ego and I love them! Thanks to all my fabulous reviewers. You guys are LEGEN — wait for it, and I sure hope you aren't lactose intolerant, because the next word is DARY!

 

ps. ♥ you Tasha, for being my only reviewer on the UR. You rock!

[](http://www.fanfiction.net/s/5682491/8/i_just_havent_met_you_yet)


	9. viii

_I am aiming to be somebody this somebody trusts  
With her delicate soul  
I don't claim to know much except soon as you start  
To make room for the parts  
That aren't you it gets harder to bloom in a garden of  
Love love love love  
Love Love love love  
  
_   
  
  
They fell into a routine, somehow. Lysander was one for routine—waking up, going to school, hanging with Lily, doing it all over again the day after. Lily wasn't, though; she liked to mess Lysander's day up, somehow, by nicking his shampoo, disappearing, or changing the colors of his clothes. Lysander found it funny, sometimes. Sometimes he just sighs and reprimands her (playfully, no doubt, but does). Lily's problem was, though, that she fell into one, too. She wakes up in the morning, attempts to scout out a job, fails miserably, and meets Lysander. Their meetings vary—usually they visited their restaurant, or saw a movie (Merlin knows they see every one that comes out), or they visit the family. Harry and the family loved having Lysander around; he knew what it was like growing up without parents, Harry did, and is a comfort to Lysander when he's depressed (though not as good as Lily, who likes to bring him ice cream and tries to get his mind off of a subject by telling a war story). Lily can't understand sometimes what it was like not seeing her parents, though, all the time; sure, Lysander wrote Luna and Rolf like crazy, but it was never enough. His brother seems unaffected by their absence—the boy was close with Albus and Lucy, separately, and Ly knew he tries to get rid of his frustration through Quidditch.  
   
   
Their healthy routine is broken that night by the return of Lysander's brother and Lucy Weasely. They arrived home a month late to a relieved Audrey and Percy Weasley, and a welcome home party at the Burrow (it wasn't the same, though, without the presence of Molly; they all skirted around the fact these past years). Lysander and Lily arrive at the Burrow at four, and he's immediately greeted by his taller, more outgoing twin via man hug. He feels like he can't breathe at the end, and then Lorcan moves onto killing Lily. Lucy laughs at Lysander's reaction. "Hi," she says, "nice to see you again!" Lysander quirks the side of his mouth a bit in greeting before swiping Lorcan away from the group quickly. He gives Lily a quick "be right back," and pulls Lor to the front yard. He sits on the swinging bench; Lor follows his league.  
   
   
"All right, bro?" his twin asks him suspiciously. "What's wrong?" Lysander pushes his dark brown hair out of his eyes nervously, and hiccoughs as he tells Lorcan the whole story. "... And I think I really, really like her, but what should I do?" he finishes hurriedly some minutes later. Lorcan studies his face before answering quietly, uncharacteristically, seriously.  
   
   
"Tell her right now." Lysander looks flabbergasted and shakes his head, telling his brother no, and why not. Lorcan sighs at his brother. "Look, I see that you've got it bad. But so does she, man. We've all been able to tell for years now. You're so oblivious, Ly; I can't believe it took you so long to read her hints. If you had waited any longer, she'd probably have moved on. And you don't risk of that, so _tell her now._ "  
   
   
Lysander looks his hands for a long minute, contemplating. "A week," he tells his brother. "Give me a week. I'll tell her on her birthday."  
   
   
—  
   
   
Hmmm. Yeah. Review!


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